CNN "NewsNight" panelist Bakari Sellers sharply criticized "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary on Wednesday for his attempts to justify President Donald Trump's military actions in Iran, dismissing his arguments as "a bunch of BS."
During a heated exchange, Sellers challenged O'Leary directly: "Explain to me right now, somebody who lives in South Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio: What is good right now for the American public going into a war where you do not understand that they're going to close the Strait of Hormuz?"
Trump's popularity has declined in recent months amid growing criticism of his Iran policy, as gas prices surged by over 50% since the initial attack in February. U.S. farmers have also raised concerns about rising fertilizer prices, partly due to Iran's closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Sellers questioned the panel: "Why was the shutting off the Strait of Hormuz not actually something that Pete Hegseth and the rest of them thought about prior?"
He continued, "Can somebody explain to me, like a fifth grader?" O'Leary responded: "The strategy was to go in there and change the dynamics in perpetuity." Sellers interrupted, asserting: "We didn't know what the hell we were doing."
Defending the war, O'Leary claimed: "I guarantee you two things before this is worked out, the strait will be open and probably policed by people around that region, because it's in their best interest, and secondly, there are no friends in the world left for Iran." The statement drew a chuckle from Sellers.
The "Shark Tank" star then boasted that Trump "changed the axis of power" and that "at the end of the day, this is good for that region." He added: "We want to do business in growing jurisdictions. We want to sell stuff to people where their economies are growing. That's what we've done for 200 years."
Sellers retorted: "You just said a bunch of nothing." O'Leary fired back: "You make stuff in North Carolina. You make stuff in South Carolina. You have to sell it to somebody. You want to ship it to countries where they can afford it, where they make a lot of money, where the income per capita is very high."
Unconvinced, Sellers concluded: "You can't sell me a bunch of BS. That's what that was."
